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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. field — farmland
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. perch — the fish
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. rock — music
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. rock — a stone
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. spring — of water
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — to grow
  19. field — a subject
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com